Exhaustion with broken ankle

[habibibibi]

I managed to break my ankle. Simple fracture and got the boot, allowed to 50% weight bear so getting around on crutches in the house. I have to sleep in the boot which isn't comfortable but do I seem to be managing to sleep at night now the pain is less intense.

Working from home so moving from desk to bed to change positions, DH picking up all the slack with kids and housework so it's not on me. But, wow, I am feeling knackered all the time. It feels like the early days of pregnancy when you are in that brain fog of exhaustion. I'm really not moving much and just doing the minimum of work that I can get away with. But I can hardly keep my eyes open during the day and find myself needing a nap and falling asleep by 8.

Is this normal?

I have a broken wrist and feel exactly the same! Think it’s our bodies’ way of telling us to slow down and heal…

yeah, I wasn't expecting this! The pain in my foot, sure, you know a break is gonna hurt and it takes time. But I hadn't expected it'd make me so completely tired all the time, mentally too. I had to go out today, just for an hour, I got back and went straight to sleep for a nap!

I had something similar recently, in fact it wasn't even a fracture, but a sprain that I has a splint for - and yes I was knackered and had brain fog. I think because your body has to repair the damage and diverts a lot of blood and resources to it.

But also you should keep an eye out for any signs of infection (hot/red swelling, fever, shivers etc) as that could also make you feel wiped out.

You should be resting as much as possible and totally normal in my experience to feel wiped out.

Yep, rest, paracetamol if you have pain and take it as easy as possible. The shock of something like this seems to make me tired, and I think it is also the body’s way of redirecting energy into healing. You will feel better faster if you rest as much as you feel you need to.

Same injury and same exhaustion. Actually became quite concerned at how tired I was. Apparently v common. I was frightened I was becoming "lazy" as spent much of time on sofa watching iplayer and tried to do more. Floored me.

yes, repairing an injury is exhausting, not being able to move naturally and thinking through every move in advance is exhausting, Using crutches is unnatural, and takes up far more energy than normal walking too. have had a broken ankle in the past, and I recognise your description of how you feel!

Glad it's normal! It's been worrying me more than the pain. Last time I broke anything i was 14 years old so I guess youth did its thing and I don't remember anything remotely like this!

There are some of us on another thread with broken ankles or in my case recovering from foot surgery, not just about weight gain despite the title 😊 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/4282787-Diet-broken-limbs-limited-mobility-Terrified-of-weight-gain

Yeah, and I broke my ankle on almost the last day of my holidays when I was just thinking about losing the extra pounds I had clearly gained enjoying the hotel buffet and free 'afternoon tea' a little too much. Will need to join that thread too! Although to be honest, don't have much of an appetite as feel rather bleurgh all the time anyhow.

That’s really bad luck, were you abroad? Was it difficult getting home?

Broken ankle here too. I am signed off work for 4:weeks. I couldn't even think about working right now. Am really struggling with boot (after cast for a few days) and crutches and am absolutely knackered. I wasn't expecting the sheer exhaustion.

PS
I think I was told not to sleep in the boot so I take it off at night. Am now thinking I might have got it wrong 😑

Well, it was a bit of a saga actually. We live abroad and we were away domestically and driving. DH had already gone back to our home and I was alone with 3 kids and 10 hours drive from home in the middle of the jungle in a national park (where we were going to do outdoorsy stuff on the way home for a few days after being spoilt in a beach resort).

Only got it seen when we got back (basically 3 days later) when it was still painful as fuck, black and blue and I couldn't walk on it.

@tass1960

Broken ankle here too. I am signed off work for 4:weeks. I couldn't even think about working right now. Am really struggling with boot (after cast for a few days) and crutches and am absolutely knackered. I wasn't expecting the sheer exhaustion.

PS
I think I was told not to sleep in the boot so I take it off at night. Am now thinking I might have got it wrong 😑

I think the sleeping in the boot thing depends on the fracture and where it is. The dr I saw explicitly told me I need to sleep in it which is really uncomfortable. I think most people don't need to sleep in it.

But, yeah, it's the exhaustion I'm finding more debilitating than the foot itself.

... it does feel nice to take it off for bed. I don't think my fracture is too bad and it moved back into place easily with the cast.

Oh shit. I had to go back to hospital for a follow up xray and appointment yesterday. Turns out fracture is worse than it originallly looked. It's actually a spiral fracture. Dr said it's aligned now but at high risk of displacement so now zero weight-bearing and definitely to keep the boot on at night plus to make sure the ankle is stable with air and stuffing in the boot.

On the plus side, he gave me some medication to help with the sensation of the boot at night - usually used to treat nerve damage - and it seems to have really helped. Slept the best sleep last night since this all started.

Still exhausted though. Back from hospital, straight for a nap!

That sounds awful, my nephew had a spiral fracture of two leg bones, he had to move back to his mum’s for several months. I hope the family are looking after you well 💐

Good that you had a better night.

Wasn't quite the news I was hoping for. But at least, if it doesn't displace, I won't need surgery.

You have my sympathy and good wishes.

I have a fractured heel bone, bone bruise and damaged ligaments in my right ankle and damaged ligaments in my left knee after I fell downstairs on August 10th. I’m in a fracture boot and on crutches but the hospital told me if I wanted pain relief I’d have to walk to the pharmacy on a different floor to fill the prescription. I had no shoes on and was very unstable on crutches due to a neurological problem (which caused the fall) so I couldn’t do that.

Since then I haven’t managed to get any pain relief from the GP - no appointment available until 1st September and the e-consult I sent on 16th August is still unanswered. I’m surviving on ibuprofen and paracetamol but it’s not helping much. Yes, the exhaustion is real! I sleep every afternoon for at least an hour.

Your fracture sounds bad. I hope you recover soon.

@Pushkinia
That's outrageous!! Didn't they have an orderly who could wheel you there?

[quote habibibibi]@Pushkinia
That's outrageous!! Didn't they have an orderly who could wheel you there?[/quote]
The department was overwhelmed. I had to wait in the ambulance for an hour and a half before I could be unloaded and at the time, the doctor wasn’t even certain I had a fracture. The damage was all found by an orthopaedic consultant in the virtual fracture clinic 2 days later. The impression I got was they just needed the bed and once they were ready to discharge me, didn’t give me another thought.

I seem to have fallen between the cracks in the NHS between hospital and GP care though, with not being able to access adequate pain relief.